Patients who undergo lower extremity revascularisation for claudication and then have rivaroxaban have fewer major cardiovascular events than if they take placebo, researchers report.

The results come from a post-hoc sub-analysis of the VOYAGER-PAD trial, looking just at data for 5031 patients who had their revascularisation procedure for claudication.

VOYAGER-PAD (The Vascular Outcomes Study of Acetylsalicylic Acid Along with Rivaroxaban in Endovascular or Surgical Limb Revascularization for Peripheral Artery Disease)) trial had shown a reduction of major cardiovascular events in patients who had undergone lower extremity revascularisation (LER) either for critical limb-threatening ischaemia or claudication when they were treated with rivaroxaban.

Just as in the overall trial, the primary outcome for the sub-analysis was a composite score of major cardiovascular events at three years, delegates to the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2021 virtual meeting were told.